100 Years of Girl Guides

[banderlog]

I watch this program on BBC4 last night one of the comments that cropped up very often was about empowering Girls and quite a few of the younger and ex guiding members said the Girl Guides give then the chance to be themselves without boys around or being dominated by boys.
I am involved with a mixed troop and can say with hand on heart that non of the Girls who attend are in any way dominated by the boys if anything its the other way around.
Being that most members of Guiding on the program aged 10 to 18 thought they did better without boys
I wonder what Boys of that age think
would they like time to be themselves without Girls around?

[RedCoat]

banderlog, please crimestop. You know that your post is ungood thoughtcrime. You must bellyfeel goodthink. Duckspeak will get you noticed by the Thought Police.

[banderlog]

Originally Posted by RedCoat

banderlog, please crimestop. You know that your post is ungood thoughtcrime. You must bellyfeel goodthink. Duckspeak will get you noticed by the Thought Police.

Why should I worry about " Thought Police"
If the Guide movement think that its best for Girls/young women to be away from boys at some time then this must also apply to Boys or am I missing something.

[ASLChris]

Originally Posted by RedCoat

banderlog, please crimestop. You know that your post is ungood thoughtcrime. You must bellyfeel goodthink. Duckspeak will get you noticed by the Thought Police.

I LOL'd reading that.

[khoomei]

Originally Posted by banderlog

Why should I worry about " Thought Police"
If the Guide movement think that its best for Girls/young women to be away from boys at some time then this must also apply to Boys or am I missing something.

Coventry is that way: http://www.escouts.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=11217





I'll get your coat....

[banderlog]

As I have said I am involved with a mixed sex group and it works well for us.
But if the guide movement feels that girls do better when not mixed with boys then it must also be better sometimes have boys only events.
If as a movement we want whets best for our young people then looking at things from different angles cannot be a bad thing.

[daveb123]

Originally Posted by banderlog

As I have said I am involved with a mixed sex group and it works well for us.
But if the guide movement feels that girls do better when not mixed with boys then it must also be better sometimes have boys only events.
If as a movement we want whets best for our young people then looking at things from different angles cannot be a bad thing.

There is of course nothing wrong with haveing some themed events within your Group or District - some of these aimed at more feminine activities and others the other way - although to be honest I cannot think of any at the moment.

[Gadgette]

The question you raise highlights a double standard IMHO.

Since the SA is co-ed it would be very un-PC to pose this question at all, let alone actually ask boy Scouts what they think or have their opinions listened to. Perish the thought Girl Guiding, on the other hand, obviously doesn't have a problem asking their Girl Guides the same question and openly sharing the result.

Its always been a bone of contention for those who feel Scouting should have remained single sex and I would imagine always will be for the die-hards.

In any event, mixed sex Scouting is the norm for the majority of Groups, so there is absolutely no point, except to create discord, in asking at this late stage in the game. I certainly have no intention of asking my all boy Scouts that's for sure, especially with no knowledge of how mixed Scouting works well for those who have already tried it.

[DonTregartha]

Actually I think some boys I know who have 'tried' scouting and some who would never go near might actually like Guides better.

GGUK needs to think about that.

The OP is a non starter - the debate has been and gone.

[Lynn-Cubs]

Originally Posted by banderlog

I watch this program on BBC4 last night one of the comments that cropped up very often was about empowering Girls and quite a few of the younger and ex guiding members said the Girl Guides give then the chance to be themselves without boys around or being dominated by boys.

I've not seen the programme yet, but please remember that up until the last 30/40 years many subject were 'boys only'. There are photos of Guides doing car maintenance etc. which they weren't able to do in school or other places.

Even camping was 'out' for a lot of girls, I know Guiding allowed my group to do things a lot of girls simply didn't get to do.

Times have changed, but Scouting (and Guiding) is still giving empowering opportunities to many YP. How many come to camp and can't wash dishes? How many can't tie their own shoe laces (how many even have laces in their shoes!!).

[DonTregartha]

When Guides are run properly, they are brilliant.

I know and have met some very impressive Guiders.

We are all in the empowerment business.

In Scouts Girls are empowered to 'cope' with boys attitudes which are often derived, not from their peer groups, but from their parents stereotyping from an early age.

[BoroGrecian]

I was in the Guides for two years before I left to join the Air Training Corps. It was two years I hated to be honest. All this 'empowering' girls I found to be complete nonsense, my group was nothing short of patronising, we didn't go camping because it wasn't seen as a feminine thing to do, when I earned my speakers badge the guider was upset that I had chosen a subject related to politics and considered that a 'mans domain'. I was expected to do my cooks badge in spite of requesting to take my first aiders badge.

Back then girls couldn't join the Scouts so when I was old enough I took the chance and joined the ATC and had four of the happiest years there and to this day I am still involved in the cadet forces.

Empowering females isn't about seperating them from the males, it's about allowing them to show themselves to be just as good at the males, have their own talents and abilties to succeed no matter what they want to do in life.

[Gadgette]

Originally Posted by DonTregartha

In Scouts Girls are empowered to 'cope' with boys attitudes which are often derived, not from their peer groups, but from their parents stereotyping from an early age.

I think that's very true Don. Just as the boys in the other long standing thread had been conditioned, without any personal knowledge themselves, of not wanting to have girls in their Troop. Its a bit like someone saying they dislike Marmite without actually having tasted it themselves! you never know until you try

[DonTregartha]

Before anyone thinks I'm a 'new man' here -

I grew up in the 70s when men were men and girls were 'birds'

I've had to relearn my attitudes to gender roles.

I think on balance the world today is better for my daughter than it was for my wife.

[Lynn-Cubs]

I'm not saying that Guiding should still be the same, just that a lot of things change in 100 years, sometimes very slowly. If I'd been stuck learning cookery and sewing in school in the 60's, I'd have felt very empowered to be able to do car maintenance or camp out.

I camped, did some of my DofE and a lot of other things my friends in school never got the chance to do, we also did a lot of boring stuff which should have stayed with the Ark.

Empowering is not all the big, life changing stuff. Sometimes it can be very simple and modest.